Deceit

Starred review from August 14, 2006
Contemporary thriller master Siegel (Detour) will doubtless have another bestseller with this superb novel. His flawed protagonist, Tom Valle, is a journalist in exile after writing more than 50 fake stories for a major New York City newspaper, a scandal that led to criminal charges for him and disgrace for the respected editor blamed for not having caught his lies. Now, Valle toils for a small California paper, covering mall openings and the birthdays of elderly locals. One such fluff assignment, which entails a visit to a senior citizen home whose oldest resident just turned 100, gives Valle a chance at redemption when he suspects that the woman's recollection of a recent visit from her long-dead son is more than a senile delusion. Using his atrophied investigative skills, Valle finds a connection to a 50-year-old catastrophe, even as twists in the trail echo elements of his own faked reports, causing him to question his sanity. The word play and atmosphere of paranoia will remind some of Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island. Even those new to genre will find it hard to stop turning the pages.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2006
In his fourth outing, thriller writer Siegel seems to be fine-tuning his technique. His inventive plotting and delicious humor are in the forefront, while his fluid writing masks a multitude of sins in characterization and dialogue, resulting in first-rate entertainment. Reporter Tom Valle once worked for the most storied newspaper in the nation (read " New York Times"). But it seems he had a small problem with fabrication in some of his stories--56 to be exact. Now he's doing penance, covering bronco-busting tournaments for a small-town newspaper in California. That's when he stumbles on the biggest story of his life--but who will believe him? A car accident morphs into a case of stolen identity, and the next thing Tom knows, his phone is tapped and his colleague is shot. A reclusive ex-reporter and a very scary psychiatric hospital seem to hold the answers, and they all point Tom toward a nuclear reactor out in the desert. Siegel keeps the paranoia level high even as he imbues his story with ethical overtones and a hilariously snarky sense of humor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)